Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Remember how I'm moving? Well, there has been good news and bad. Good first: No more Crazy Drunk Neighbor-person! Very exciting indeed.

Bad news: the potential fate of my shoe collection. Here is a sampling of it - they don't fit well in one picture.

Anyways, I've been at a loss for what to do with them.

Until I saw this on {this is glamorous}.Genius. And I believe there is one of these lovely pieces of furniture at my parent's house right now. I think it's waiting for me. It wants to be filled with shoes.

This is tough. I love JCrew & Nordstroms online. There are honestly not a lot of great places to shop in the Omaha area - so online stores are definitely my friend! My favorite is probably Urban Outfitters though...more affordable, more eclectic, and they sell great accessories and home accents as well!

Next...my favorite place to buy furniture.Target. That's it. All I can currently afford, not than I'm complaining. I love Target and all it has to offer. In fact, I think I shall go this afternoon. Another place I like to shop for furniture? My mom's house.

Trois...favorite city.

This is another tough one. I don't know that I could choose one all-encompassing place. I love Portland (Oregon) and Chicago so much...but I'd have to say Omaha, because all my friends and family are here.

Plus, Esquiredid vote Omaha as one as having some of the best bars in the country....you can't go wrong with that, right?

Number 4, my favorite SWEETS/Pastries...

I put these two together because I'm more of a salt girl, myself. And, while I do love making cupcakes - nothing beats a tiramisu from M's Pub downtown. Mmm. If you're in Omaha, go get one now. PS...this place is another reason I love Omaha.

Number 5...my favorite drink.

Easy! Champagne, of course! It is my namesake afterall!

Six:(you getting tired of reading all about moi yet?)Music...I'm a big fan of almost anything....one of my favorites?

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Conor and I may have finally found a place. Which is a good thing considering we now have about, um, 7 days to vacate our current home! Anyways, it's an old building by the Mutual of Omaha complex (would that be the right term, complex? the place is massive afterall...) that has been completely redone. It's really cute.

Here, a before picture from the Assessor's website. Mine would be the upper right-hand corner. They're quite small - but Conor made a valid point. They would prepare me for European living, should we ever decide to bail out of the country!

So, stay tuned - if all goes as planned I'll be posting some after pics of the property ASAP!

Monday, October 20, 2008

I've not abandoned ship....I'm just super busy! It's hard to have a full-time job (not centered at a desk with a computer and the internet!!), a boyfriend, friends, and keep up on a blog! Yikes!

Busy week at the Clinique counter - getting ready for some visits from the bosses. I'll be back ASAP. Like tomorrow, hopefully! If you're someone who lives in Omaha - two more work days, Clinique Master Class and I'm on vacation! Yay!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

were on the menu for day 2 of my 3-Day Kitchen Spectacular. They are a practice run for the big wedding Nov. 15th. Conor has been dutifully taste-testing for me and likes the chocolate with sprinkles only around the sides. The decision was based on over-crunchiness of the solidly covered sprinkle cakes.

My mom came to Omaha today. We shopped a bit. I got one thing from 3 great categories: books, jewelry, and wine. Well, technically more than one bottle of wine, but that's a given, right? I mean, you get a discount for buying in bulk.

My book: The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse. I love these books and own quite a few - they're so much fun to read over and over and over...

The best find - these vintage earrings. They are very Art Deco to me. In person they're really super sparkly and glam. My mom told me to save them for my wedding day! Best part - we paid only $30!See, even with the horrid economy you can still find some good deals!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

I've never actually made chili! I haven't always been the hugest of fans - basically because of the bean content. BUT, I opened up my newest issue of Real Simple and there it was. A very tasty looking recipe for the cold-weather classic. So, I made it. And it was great.

My ingredients...in the background you can see my Krups food processor - without, I could not chop two giant onion and mince garlic.I used the recipe "Chili for a Crowd" in the Nov. 2008 Real Simple. I added some extra spices and such for my flavor and heat - make it your own!I also toasted thin slices of a baguette topped with olive oil, garlic salt, and oregano. A bit of sour cream and voila! A cozy fall dinner. Conor is currently on bowl #2.The toasts kinda look like tombstones, ha!

Who doesn't love them? For the next few days I will not be manning the Clinique counter so am therefore having "kitchen" days! To start off my culinary delights (and break myself back into baking and cooking slowly, ha!) I chose an easy one. Easy but delish!

Melting the butter and marshmallows - my favorite part. I have to stop myself from eating it all...

The end result - a nice, fluffy stack of crispy treats. They should easily last one, maybe two hours.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

I was tagged by Dolce Chic...she asks what five things I like best about the state I live in - Nebraska!

First off, my easiest answer - My Family. My siblings live in very close vicinity to me here in Omaha, which is awesome. My sister lives just upstairs, in fact! My parents are not technically in Nebraska, but they're so close we'll just count it!

#2. The seasons....esp. Autumn. While it can be tough to deal with 95 degree heat with 100% humidity in the summer and then the complete opposite: 0 degree cold with ice in the winter, I know I'd miss my changing seasons if I was away. There's nothing better than the smell of leaves burning on a crisp fall evening. Plus, it's kinda pretty to look at!

#3. Midwestern folk are nicer people! They really are quite friendly. I don't quite know how to explain, but there's just a little something different - maybe it's the clean air or all the beef...

#4. How undiscovered it still is....does this make sense? It's hard to explain, but there's a close-knit scene of people here that are into music, art, fashion...you name it. But it's Omaha, Nebraska, so we're not overrun by the popularity of it all.

#5. The fact that while I love it, I can pretty easily leave it! You wouldn't exactly come to Nebraska for a getaway or to relax and enjoy the weather. So...I don't have to stick around if I don't want! Probably the oddest answer, but it makes sense to me, ha!

Kinda boring, I'm sure. Not that I don't love Omaha and whatnot, but it is Nebraska!

Monday, October 6, 2008

Tom's has created three special pairs of their signature shoe just in time for the 2008 election. If you don't know anything about Tom's....click here.

For every pair of shoes that is purchased, they create and give away a pair to a child in need. And the shoes look pretty comfy, if I do say so myself. My sister told me about Tom's a while back, and I just happened to stumble across these adorable party-inspired styles.

For you Dems...

For the Repubs...

And for those of you that just can't decide..

.Now, get out there, buy some shoes and vote!

PS...inspired by all you other giving bloggers out there - I'm thinking of doing an October giveaway! Remember, I work for Clinique so it'll be beauty prods and lots of 'em! Keep watching!

Friday, October 3, 2008

I'm moving from my downtown loft at the end of the month and thought I'd post a few pictures displaying my favorite things about it.

This is our dining area by the window. We have 15-foot ceilings, which are wonderful! This wall has some exposed brick and we live right in the Old Market district, so we have a pretty great view of old buildings, a restaurant's balcony seating, and other neat stuff. I will miss that...These are my flower lights. I ♥ them. And, you can see my giant glass boot in the background - something else that I absolutely cherish!

We still don't know where we are moving to (yikes!), but anything will be better than constant parking tickets (downtown meters) and a crazy, drunk neighbor. She really is crazy.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

I was inspired by Muffy at Muffy Martini! Some of you may know, I work for Clinique. So, it goes without saying that I'm kinda obsessed with beauty products. BUT, I, like everyone else, have a few faves that I always go back to and can count on to make me the prettiest Piper I can be.

Purity cleanser by Philosophy is hands-down the best cleanser. Anyone can use it: dry, oily, sensitive, anyone! It removes makeup, cleanses dirt and oil, you name it. I use it every day before my regular cleanser.

The newest addition to my family of products is also the newest mascara to the Chanel family. Exceptionnel de Chanel is amazing! Trust me, it can't be beat. That's all I can say. Oh, and it is totally worth the $28 price tag.

Mascara can only look its best on a rested eye though, so I trust the ol' Clinique All About Eyes Rich for that one. It is super hydrating and gets rid of any trace of last night's party that may be lurking in the form of puffiness. It's probably my favorite Clinique product. AND, it's cheaper than the mascara, go figure!

Lipstick! I ♥ red lipstick. I have lots of allergies to lipsticks though, so this can be a tough one. Chanel's Rouge Allure lipsticks are awesome. They feel nice. And look pretty. I love the Brilliant shade.

Another new favorite - cream blushes. Not that the concept is new, but Clinique has a great new stick form that I'm learning to love. They gave us Rosy blush at a class, but the Shy color is my fave.